The Christmas Angel
by Dreamcreator
Summary: His mother would hug him and ask the question she always asked at every Christmas year. "My dear Casper, what was the first Christmas Gift?"


**Hi!**

**Sorry for not posting up any new stories or new chapters of late, been having major computer problems and now borrowing a computer for only a short time until I can get a new one. So anyway this came to me when I found a Christmas Casper contest on Deviantart by the fabulous LadyBerZerk, and suddenly this came to me! So I hope you enjoy and go check out LadyBerZerk's Casper artwork on Deviantart. They are incredible! I like to thank her for inspiring this story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Casper or the characters.**

**Please Read and Review!**

**Enjoy!**

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It had been snowing for several days in Friendship Maine. Whipstaff Manor, with its gloomy battered appearance, was still able to give off a serene look. A haunting beauty, which made everyone even the faint hearted, stare at the mysterious residence before them.

Casper was rummaging through the crates stored away in the attic. Dr. Harvey and Kat had already bought the Christmas tree for the main hall. They had found all sorts of ornaments to decorate the tree; from antiques hidden in the house, to special Christmas decorations the Harvey's owned over the years that could never be replaced. The Ghostly Trio, being their usual mischievous selves had decided to help out in the only way they knew how.

Thank goodness they had several fire extinguishers handy.

It had taken over an hour to clean up all the shattered Christmas lights. The Friendly Ghost was just thankful no one was hurt and the tree didn't burst into flames. Now Kat and her father had set off into town to buy more lights that were 'ghost proof'.

Good luck with that.

With the chaos already passed, Casper quickly prepared lunch for his uncles to keep them out of more trouble. So absorbed in their feasting they didn't even notice their nephew sneaking away from the kitchen and straight into the attic.

Further and further he floated around, inspecting each and every crate and every box, his searching never seizing until he final found what he was looking for.

His mother's chest.

So old. So worn out looking. The buckles were rotting away and the lock had rusted long ago. Covered in layers of dust and cobwebs formed around the edges, Casper was lucky he was a Ghost or he would have sneezed to death. Wiping away the dust, the little ghost mouthed the words engraved in the center of the chest name plate.

_**Elizabeth McFadden.**_

Without further ado, he slowly lifted the lid, the creaking noise echoing throughout the entire room. His mother's dress which Kat wore to the Halloween party a few months back was folded neatly with care. The garment lay on top of books and picture frames with old forgotten photographs inside them. Glass perfume bottles and wooden jewelry boxes still intact were in there as well.

Casper's eyes sparkled, when he gazed at the object he been looking for.

A Christmas Angel.

His mother's Christmas Angel.

He carefully pulled it out, closing the chest, his eyes still lingering over the gentle creature. The Angel had not changed a bit since the last time he had seen it. The golden doll hair still ever soft, the adorned halo on her pretty head still sparkled brightly. Her angelic porcelain face was still flawless with no scratch or crack marring its beauty. The dress was still pure white, no signs of the aging yellow, still smooth and her wings were still pure silk. In both of her hands, she held a small candle.

She was still perfect even after all these years.

A small sad smile graced Casper's face as he remembered seeing her the last Christmas he spent with his mother before she passed away. She had been strong, her loving spirit never wavering even with her illness growing worse by each passing day. She knew it would be her last Christmas with her family and she wanted to celebrate with grandness and life. She wanted no tears to shed for her during the holidays; it was a time to be merry not weeping. His father could not accept this or any Death at all, hiding away in his lab not wanting to join in the celebration, but most importantly not wanting to face the truth of his wife's illness. That didn't upset his mother though from making that Christmas special.

He remembered the laughter as his mother and Uncle Stinkie played the piano and sang Christmas carols in perfect harmony while the others danced or swayed to the music. How Casper and his mother had to stop Uncle Fatso from eating all of their Christmas dinner and how Uncle Stinkie hid all the cookies from his, driving him mad, crying out that he was starving away and must be fed. And most importantly how his mother was able to make Uncle Stretch truly smile as she took pictures of everyone and everything on that day.

Yet Casper's most vivid memory of his mother was when she took out her Christmas Angel. She would tell her son how her grandfather has bought the beautiful being for her grandmother their first Christmas as a wedded couple; to surviving the trip to America as they fled the starving trouble land of Ireland; to when Casper will someday give the Christmas Angel to his own children when he was old and gray. Soon the doll was placed on top of the tree, looking ever so pretty and heavenly. His mother would hug him and ask the question she always asked at every Christmas year.

"_My dear Casper, what was the first Christmas Gift?"_

So lost in his memories, he didn't even realize he had made it back down to the main room, Angel still in hand. He saw his Uncles bickering by the fireplace, on how to ruin the Christmas tree and cause so many other problems for Kat and her father for their holidays. Their arguing had stopped when they noticed the little ghost boy and soon their eyes were glued to Casper and the Christmas doll he held in his ghostly hands. Emotions flickered in each of their faces, probably recalling a many Christmas pasts from their days of being alive.

Stretch was the first to break the stillness in the atmosphere. "Go on. Put it on that miserable excuse for a tree. We haven't got all day." Casper gave him a big smile and rushed to the top of the tree, placing it ever so gently with so much love and care. He floated back to his Uncle Stretch's side as the McFadden men and boy looked upon the display before them.

"Now this tree has some class!" Stinkie declared as he stole a marshmallow from Fatso.

Fatso clutched his bag closely to his ghostly form, "We don't have to wreck this tree anymore. It looks better already."

Silence soon descended on them once more, the fire flickering and cackling in the fireplace, and the snow still falling from the sky outside. Their eyes not once leaving the tree, but mostly the Holy Angel on top of it that held so many memories for them.

"Uncle Stretch?" Casper whispered quietly to his eldest uncle.

"Yeah Shortsheet?"

"What was the first Christmas Gift?"

He looked at his uncle, movement casting on his face. There was no smirk, no snide grin, not even a scowl. Just a smile. A true smile was forming on the Ghost Leader's face. He brought Casper closer to him, giving him a one armed hug, gently answering:

"The first Christmas Gift was a child."

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**I just love the Casper characters! They are so interesting and it always made me wonder about their background, history, and the story behind them. I know it was definitely a mystery about Casper's mother. They never talk about her! So here's my idea about Elizabeth McFadden in her son's life. She will be in my other Casper stories as well.**

**So what do you guys think? Horrible? Beautiful? What what?! I know for certain that it made me cry while writing it up. Anyway, I am hoping to get more stories and new chapters up for the holidays. Wish me luck! Maybe send me a new laptop as a Christmas present!**

**Please Read and Review!**

**Thank you!**

**Dreamcreator**


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